Murphy beds?

[mikester]

I share my home office with my guest room.

I have a twin bed in there that gets used often enough but the space is a little cramped for me when we do not have a guest.

I think the idea of a murphy bed is fantastic but I'm wondering if anyone actually has one who can tell me about how it works out for them.

We have my mother in law for weeks at a time pretty often. So the bed gets used but when she is here I usually don't work as much from home just because I need a little space and I like to give her the guest room when she's here. I move my work into the actual office up in LA or down in Irvine. Not usually a big deal.

When she's not here however the bed just gets in my way. I've contemplated even bagging and putting it into storage but rather than get a larger storage unit and constantly moving the bed I'd rather simply fold it up. If I can do that - it might be cool.

Thoughts?

[masraum]

My wife watches lots of the DIY shows on H&G. I saw one where John Gidding put a Murphy bed that hinged on the long side in an office. It was REALLY slick when it was all done. IIRC they put sliding doors to cover it when not in use, and then had some shelving along side that also had matching sliding doors, so it was really well camouflaged

The bed is on the right and some of the shelving is facing the camera.
.

[scottmandue]

I'm very interested in this too...

I have a spare bedroom that is the computer/craft room, need to add a bed for visitors. Tried the inflatable bed but not working.

Don't see much or any advertising for Murphy beds.

[mikester]

Just google 'murphy bed' as I saw plenty of places selling them.

I'm looking for some more direct experience (Thanks Steve!).

[NY65912]

I just ordered one and awaiting delivery. My son has moved into the studio apartment on the first level of our home.

It looks like a great idea....we'll see.

I picked one up from wallbedoutlet.com, it was on sale on Black Friday, looked good and saved $200bucks.

I'll post up as soon as I get it installed.

[azasadny]

My friend's father-in-law had a custom-made Murphy bed in his den at their old house. It was beautiful and you would never know that it was a bed and it flipped out easily with one hand. I don't know where he bought it but it didn't hurt that he was a master carpenter and cabinetmaker. He did say the bed itself was expensive...

[rfloz]

My girlfriend in the first year of law school had a Murphy bed in her apartment. It was fine for our use. Of course, if you are actually going to sleep in the thing, you might want to see if there are mattress options - soft, hard, etc., to suit the person who is going to be using it the most.

I can say it was a lot more comfortable than a convertible sofa.

[Hendog]

We lived in a two bedroom high rise condo. The second bedroom was small, so we had a murphy bed built and installed.

We didn't cheap out on the mattress or box support. The box support wasn't spring but rather a slat support. It was very comfortable. When it was stowed, the "wall" portion had a drop down table built into it; very convenient and usefull. A desk was built into the corner where my PC sat. We have since moved to a house with ample room, but I would do it again if required.

I found the web site of the place we bought from. It's local here but it should give you ideas of what to look for.
Instant Bedrooms, Wallbeds, Murphy Beds, Custom Design - Home

[stomachmonkey]

Don't see what the downside could be as long as you get a quality mattress.

I don't sleep on box spring beds.

Platform my entire life which is pretty much a Murphy without a hinge.

[scottmandue]

Wife and I googled it... you can buy a kit with all the hardware... doesn't look too tough.

Think that is what we are going to try.

[12own911]

The murphy that I have my eye on...




Can be found here: Home

[mikester]

I like that one but I think I want one with a couch.

[12own911]

Then wouldnt that be a day bed or a futon? I've never seen a murphy that turns into a couch.

[TimT]

20+ or so years ago I lived in a small studio Co-op I had a Murphy bed... and I made it look very similar to the picture masraum posted... When the bed was folded up, it looked like a large wall unit with bookshelves and little cubbies, and I made the the panels that closed over the bed look like closed cabinet doors...

In all it really worked for a small space... when I had people over for the first time... my place being a small Co-op..... they would wonder where I slept.... it was disguised that well...

I was a lazy bachelor then..... and only closed the bed when I had guests.... some guests I tried to get that bed opened ASAP lol

[Evans, Marv]

We put a Murphy bed in one of our bedrooms that my wife likes to also use as a craftroom. It's a queen size and the cabinet is almost 8 ft. tall and stands out from the wall around 16 - 18 in. The matress is very comfortable, and we had a choice of matresses when we had it made at a local place the makes & sells them. It looks like a big cherry cabinet & you could use as a permanent bed if you wanted. Not cheap though, but like somebody already said, you can buy kits, or the hardware and do the cabinet yourself from plans. Lots of possibilities. We like it.

[A930Rocket]

The lofts over the garages at VIR have murphy beds. They work very well and are comfortable. No idea who makes them, but it's a great idea.